New Jersey Facts

New Jersey is a northeastern U.S. state with 130 miles of Atlantic coastline. A major city is Jersey City, across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. There are plenty of attractions in and around the city, including Liberty State Park, which overlooks the waterfront. Nearby is Ellis Island, where you can visit the Immigration Museum and see the Statue of Liberty. The Jersey Shore offers many beaches, sand dunes, and Victorian architecture.

The state of New Jersey has an impressive history. Native Americans lived in the area as early as 10,000 BCE. They were mostly Lenni-Lenape, but other tribes were present as well. The name Scheyichbi means “land of shell money.” This is why the native people of the state were referred to as “Delaware Indians” by Europeans. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to explore Delaware, and Henry Hudson came to the area a few years later to claim the island for the Dutch.

The weather in New Jersey is largely predictable. However, a few rare and extreme weather events can disrupt the lives of residents. Historically, the state’s climate has fluctuated and the weather has been unpredictable. In 1903, Hurricane Sandy killed 3,000 people and caused severe flooding in parts of the state. While this is a relatively rare event, there have been several major storms in recent years. In 1864, the United States experienced its first hurricane, named Katrina.

The state has a diverse history and culture. Despite being a highly industrialized state, New Jersey remained a diverse and multicultural society. The first European to explore Delaware was Giovanni da Verrazzano. The Dutch also called the area New Sweden and the Dutch called it New Netherland. The name “New Jersey” first appeared in a royal grant of King Charles II. The name is now associated with the state. The people of the region enjoy the benefits of an excellent climate, a high quality of life, and a diverse culture.

The land was inhabited by native Americans as early as 10,000 years ago. The Native Americans of the area were mostly Lenape and referred to the area as “scheyichbi,” which means “land of the shell money.” Throughout the ages, people from different cultures lived in New Jersey. The land of today’s northern part of the state was populated by Europeans. During the 18th century, the Morris Canal was completed, allowing coal from eastern Pennsylvania to be transported from the Lehigh Valley to the growing industries of northern New Jersey.

The state is incredibly diverse, from ethnicity to religion. In fact, it is the only state in the nation in which elected county officials are called “freeholders.” The freeholders govern each county as part of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, which is a government body that oversees a community. There are three freeholders in every county, and the number of members varies from one county to another.